Actress Jodie Turner-Smith is coming to Meghan Markle’s defense, calling out the royal family for their reported lack of protection and treatment of the Duchess of Sussex.

Turner-Smith, who is from the UK, was a guest on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday (June 2) and shared her thoughts on the royal family and Megan Markle and Prince Harry’s marriage,  Daily Mail reports.

“I think they could have looked at this marriage and that relationship as a way to evolve and could have embraced it and embraced her fully, and protected her, and protected their son in a way that made him feel like he didn’t need to leave,” Turner-Smith said.

She also stated that there is “a lot of resistance to new things that can push [the royal] institution forward in a way that more represents the world today.”

Markle, who is biracial, married Harry in May 2018. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, the Duchess of Sussex revealed that she struggled while being in the royal spotlight and had suicidal thoughts while pregnant with her son Archie. Markle told Winfrey that there were talks about not giving her son security or a title, as well as “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”

On Jan. 8 2020, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced that they would be relieving themselves from royal duties.